Ministerial Travel

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (14:25): What explanation was given for why the assistant needed to travel business class?

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:25): Once again, the Liberal Party, I think, should be very careful about the precedent they are setting.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order.

Mr PICTON: It is always an honour to represent the Premier at any international forum, and I of course take that honour with the importance that it carries and also the importance in terms of making sure that taxpayers' money is used wisely in the process. We sought advice, and the Premier's office approved the travel in the circumstances, as it was appropriate under the guidelines, and that's what the guidelines say. The Premier's office and the Premier's Chief of Staff have the ability to approve that if it is appropriate, and they deemed that it was appropriate in these circumstances.

I am very happy to outline in answer to any number of questions details of this trip, which I think was very successful in terms of continuing to discuss South Australia's world-leading approach and the number of meetings we had to further international work. Sadly, all the delegates were united in their disappointment—

Mr KNOLL: Point of order, sir: I ask you to bring the member back to the substance of the question, which was what explanation was given for why the assistant needed to travel.

The SPEAKER: I suppose the parliamentary secretary is justifying the trip, and the justification would elevate it to the level that would warrant business class travel. I presume that's the nub of his reply?

Mr PICTON: Thank you, Mr Speaker; that is absolutely correct. I think the article was by a Mr Michael Owen from The Australian, who members might have heard of.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. Rankine: Disgraced journalist.

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned. The truthfulness of the interjection does not validate it.

Mr PICTON: If Mr Owen's article had been correct, in that the hotel stay was $7,000 for two rooms for three nights—about $1,000 a night—I think that would have been excessive and would have been a misuse of taxpayers' money to stay in China in those circumstances, but of course that was not true at all. The invoice was clearly in Chinese currency, in RMB or yuan, and if you divide that by about seven it was about $150 per night for the accommodation in the hotel right next to the National Convention Centre where the conference was being held. I think that that was appropriate in the circumstances.

All this detail is available to the honourable member who asked the question for the exact reason that we publicly disclose all this information. Through our public disclosure of information, we have put all of it on the website. That's how the member for Schubert has looked at it and that's how it has gone to Mr Owen at The Australian because we are very open and happy to disclose all the work we do on behalf of the people of South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport is called to order.

Mr PICTON: —and because we want to be open with the people of South Australia about the work we do. That is why it is publicly disclosed. There has never been a government in this state before that has publicly disclosed this information, and that's why we have done that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader and the member for Morialta are each warned for the second and final time.

Mr PICTON: If the Leader of the Opposition wants to spend his time criticising staff members—

Members interjecting:

Mr PICTON: —it's not actually what the title is at all, if you've got the information.

The Hon. J.W. Weatherill: Let's talk about Finland.

Mr PICTON: That's right, yes.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I think it is descending into a quarrel. I ask the parliamentary secretary to resume his seat. The member for Schubert has the call.